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Kevin Hillery will fulfill a lifelong dream Tuesday by graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in economics -- and as the first paraplegic midshipman ever to graduate from the academy, he's an inspiration.

"I just had always wanted to be in the military, and in high school, I was interested in the Navy SEAL path. So, I applied to the academy," Hillery said.

But until just a few months ago, Hillery wasn't sure he'd be able to graduate with his class. In April 2011, he was paralyzed from the waist down in a freak accident. He and his friends were participating in an adventure race in Virginia when it started to storm, and while they were biking, a tree fell on him.

He doesn't remember any of the accident, but his friends on the team sure do.

"I see the tree down. About 15 feet from the tree, I see him lying face down, bleeding out of his mouth, not breathing. He was unconscious at the time," said Colin Price, a friend. "We knew that nobody was coming right away, so we had to do our best to keep him alive until help arrived."

"I was very lucky," Hillery said. "My bike helmet saved my life -- I still have it; it's cracked to pieces."

Hillery credited his friends with saving his life.

"My three best friends saved my life that day. They made a little tent to keep me out of the rain. They knew that they were dealing with a spinal cord injury, so not to move me, and they kept me dry and went and got help. I wouldn't be here without them," Hillery said.

He broke his back and spent weeks in intensive care undergoing back surgery, followed by months of physical therapy near his home in Medway, Mass., outside of Boston.

Through it all, and while missing the fall semester of his senior year, Hillery had one recurring thought: "From the beginning, I was just hoping I'd be able to graduate with my class."

He ultimately broke through layers of red tape, and just days before his final semester was to begin, Hillery received word that he was allowed to return to the Naval Academy.

"It was just one of the happiest times of my life," Hillery said. "I've loved the four years here."

Price recalled how word arrived: "Over Christmas break, he was down visiting, and we were hanging out on the couch watching a movie, and he gets a phone call -- and he gets calls a lot, so I thought it was somebody else -- and he was, like, really excited all of a sudden. So, I was like, 'What is he talking about?' (and he said), 'I gotta go home and get my stuff because I'm coming back to the academy,' and we just freaked out."

So, as scheduled, Hillery's family will take their seats Tuesday in the bleachers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to watch Hillery receive his diploma from the United States Naval Academy.

"I don't think I've been as proud of Kevin as I have been in the last 12 months since his injury to just really the inner real core of him," said Hillery's father, Frank. "When the chips are down, when life is tough, you really see the true qualities of an individual."

While he will not be able to become a Navy SEAL, he has new plans to go to law school.

"I think having a tolerance for adversity and uncertainty is helpful in any walk of life," Kevin Hillery said. "So, I think I'll benefit from this experience in some ways."

Hillery said he plans to take the LSATs in June and that he has applied to three law schools in Washington, D.C., where he hopes to eventually work with the government.